2020 has been a year unlike any other. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone has had to adjust to a new way of living between cancelled events, social distancing protocol and working from home. At VOADV, one positive we have witnessed firsthand during this very different, difficult year is the way it has brought people together and inspired them to give back.
At the New Albany School in Cinnaminson, students and educators took the initiative to give to those in need all while facing the challenges of an atypical school year and transitioning to hybrid learning. Organized by the Library staff, the school hosted a Socktober Sock Drive throughout the month of October. The school far surpassed their goal of 300 pairs of socks, collecting 727 pairs of socks for men, women and children and donating them to our shelters around the region.
Around Thanksgiving, the pandemic’s lasting impacts did not damper the spirit of giving felt at some of our programs. At our emergency men’s shelter the Aletha R. Wright “Vision of Hope” Center and veterans housing program Home For The Brave, residents enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving meal donated by Friends of Fairview Give Back. As a special touch, the group even provided placemats with handwritten messages of hope and encouragement – giving residents a reason to smile as they celebrated the holiday.
Additionally, clients of our PROMISE (Program for Returning Offenders with Mental Illness Safely and Effectively) program clients received baskets of all the fixings for a Thanksgiving feast generously donated by Camden County.
Finally, 2020 concluded with our biggest, most impactful Adopt A Family to date – with nearly 1,000 local families in need receiving the joyful, special holiday they deserve. When LogistiCare, now known as ModivCare, the nation’s largest non-emergency medical transportation company, learned of the program, they jumped to assist – offering their Philadelphia-based transportation providers to pick-up packages of holiday gifts from our Collingswood office and deliver them directly to families in the Northeast region of the City of Philadelphia in the days leading up to Christmas.
We are overwhelmed by the generosity of those at the New Albany School, Friends of Fairview Give Back, Camden County, LogistiCare/ModivCare and the countless number of individuals who continue to support our programs in a variety of ways throughout the year.
As we begin the New Year, a generous donation to VOADV enables us to continue to serve local families and individuals in need into 2021 and beyond. To learn more about the ways you can Give Hope and make a lasting impact on those in the greater community, visit: www.voadv.org.